New Novato fire station construction postponed for lack of funds

Construction of Novato's $8 million Fire Station 64 has been put on hold because the work will cost $500,000 more than officials initially estimated and the district can't afford it, the fire chief said.

Additionally, contractors discovered a 30-foot-wide by 1-foot-deep area of contaminated soil at the 319 Enfrente Road site about three weeks ago, said Novato Fire District Chief Mark Heine. He said he doesn't yet know how much it will cost to clean up the toxin, which is probably diesel fuel that leaked out of a generator, but he said the district will clean it up.

"The bids for construction came in about $500,000 higher than we anticipated," Heine said of the building costs. "In the interests of using taxpayers' money wisely, we have put the project on hold. The debt service payments on a $4 million construction loan are something we can't afford right now.

"At present the whole project is shut down," Heine said.

The district had budgeted $3.8 million at most for the construction phase of the project, Heine said, and "the low bid came in at about $4.4 million." The district made the estimate based on an industry analysis of construction rates for comparable buildings before the economy, and the construction industry, began recovering, he said.

The fire chief said, "what's important for the public to know is that we will maintain the temporary station on the other side of Roblar so there will be no interruption of service" to the communities served by Fire Station 64.

The nine-member crew of Fire Station 64 is ensconced in a trailer at 105 Roblar Drive that rents for $2,000 a month. Next door is a building resembling a Quonset hut housing the fire engine.

The temporary arrangement was part of the original plan to construct a new building. The temporary quarters are on the east side of Highway 101, while the permanent site is on the west side.

Officials earlier decided the Enfrente Road station should be rebuilt because it was so dilapidated, it would cost more to shore it up than to replace it altogether. Demolition of the old building on Enfrente began in November and finished on time, and new construction was supposed to start this spring. The new building was supposed to be finished in fall 2014.

Neither Heine nor Farhad Mansourian, president of the fire district's board, would give an estimate as to how long it might be before construction could begin on the building. The old building was demolished over the past few months with the intention of clearing the land for the new building.

"Right now we hit the market at its peak for the construction business and that's why prices are much higher than we would like to pay, so the board decided to not proceed at this point," Mansourian said. "When we think construction prices are better, the board will consider visiting the market again."

At the time the project was announced, the $8 million was to come partially from district funds designated years ago for future building and another portion was to come from a financing option not yet finalized.

With regard to the apparent diesel contamination, "We are going to return the site to how it should be. We will take the necessary steps to remove the contaminated soil," Heine said. The chief said the Bay Area Water Quality Control District has been notified of the problem.

A staffer familiar with the situation could not be reached for comment.